Washington, D.C., will open the Lindsey Graham funeral sequence on Tuesday with two celebrations of his life before funeral services continue in South Carolina. The schedule also puts lawmakers near a Senate sanctions vote tied to Graham’s foreign-policy work.
Graham died suddenly earlier this month at age 71. Tuesday morning brings a ceremony in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, followed by a private funeral service at the National Cathedral.
Washington, D.C. tributes
Lawmakers and world leaders are expected to gather in Washington, D.C., for the tributes. Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to attend, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend as well. Zelenskyy is set to speak with lawmakers on Tuesday morning.
Richard Blumenthal, who worked with Graham on the sanctions effort, said Graham’s comments to him were among the last Graham made to him. He said, “To quote Senator Graham, ‘It's a big effing deal. We all did well. We all did good,’” and added, “Those were among the last comments he made to me.”
Senate sanctions package
The Senate is preparing to move on a sanctions package targeting Russia in response to the war in Ukraine, and the legislation has been revamped to include sanctions against Iran. John Thune teed up the package for a vote last week, and lawmakers are expected to get a chance to move it through a key procedural hurdle on Tuesday night, hours after Graham’s service at the National Cathedral.
Blumenthal called the measure “a huge achievement” for Graham and said, “And I'm very proud to be, you know, his partner in that effort.” He also said, “It's going to be a very important part of his legacy, and it is a tribute, a fitting and appropriate tribute to him,” before adding, “I hope it passes. We're not there yet.”
South Carolina services
After the Washington services, funeral services will continue in South Carolina. The sequence turns Graham’s final public tributes into a same-day test of whether the sanctions package can advance while lawmakers are gathered to honor the senator whose name it now carries.
